Hotel occupancy across the Valencian Community reached 90.2% in the second half of July, 2.4 points higher than the same period last year, according to figures released by the hotel association Hosbec. Confirmed reservations for the first half of August currently stand at 86%, pointing to continued strong demand.

Benidorm once again led the main tourist destinations, recording 92.1% occupancy in late July, compared with 89.5% a year earlier. The resort closed July with an average of 90.7% of rooms filled and already has 88.4% booked for early August.

Across the region, all major destinations improved on last summer. Valencia province reached 91.1% occupancy in the second half of July, while the city of Valencia recorded 89.6%. Alicante South hit 90%, the Costa Blanca excluding Benidorm achieved 87.7%, and Castellón stood at 85.6%.

The domestic market accounted for 47.9% of hotel stays overall, followed by the British market with 23.7%. In Benidorm, however, the United Kingdom was the leading source market with 37.1%, ahead of Spain at 35.9%. Hosbec says the total solar eclipse on 12 August could drive occupancy in areas such as Castellón close to so-called technical full capacity, above 93%.